I follow a number of Evangelical blogs, websites, and podcasts. Recently, several sites had articles detailing the “notable” Christians who died. You know the big-name, big-shot Christians who died in 2025. When these alleged giants of the faith died, both secular and religious sites ran articles detailing their greatness.
As I read these articles, I couldn’t help wonder if God was upset over these dead Christians getting all the praise and glory for his works. Remember, Christians are helpless and hopeless without Jesus; that in and of themselves they can do no good thing. Jesus himself said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” Paul later added that humans cannot even move or breathe apart from God. Thus, Christianity has historically taught that all praise, honor, and glory belong to Jesus alone. We humans are mere tools used by God to advance his kingdom. It is God who deserves a pat on the back when we do good works, not us.
Watching a sporting event or music star interview and you will hear countless people give all the praise and glory for their exploits to Jesus. Without him, they couldn’t sing, run, punt, pass, or shoot. Forget genetics. Forget physical dispositions. Forget training and conditioning. Forget coaching. Forget parental involvement. The next time you watch gifted athletes ply their trade, remember it is all because of Jesus. In the grand scheme of things, the human is just a bit player in God’s cosmic play. When the annals of human history are written, they will only contain three words:God Did It! (With a footnote that says: Except the bad stuff. That’s on you, buddy.)
With these things in mind, it seems clear that praising the works of these “notable Christians” is an affront to God. Why? Because praising their works robs God of praise and honor that only belongs to him. However, as I read these articles about notable Christians who died in 2025, it seemed that a lot of these dead Christians were bigger than life; dare I say, bigger than Jesus?
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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